The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

The Matrix Resurrections is the reboot of the Matrix Franchise, from director Lana Wachowski. 60 years after the events of Revolutions, Neo finds himself in a parallel world where “the Matrix” is merely a videogame designed by none other than himself. Let’s consider the pros and cons of The Matrix Resurrections…

Pros: Although we get many reboots these days, I’m thrilled to plug back into this world! Firstly the story is extremely thought provoking and engaging during the introduction. I like it’s self-referential nature, although it does lean heavily on the previous movies. Secondly, I think Lana Wachowski’s direction is almost as good as ever. There are quite a few shots and set pieces that work very well together, however it does struggle to capture that initial magic from the trilogy. Lastly, I enjoyed Johnathan Groff’s take as agent Smith.

Cons: Although the story cleverly incorporates it’s predecessors, once the pieces fall into place, it loses steam fast. It eventually turns into a pretty generic action movie, yet there’s still a layer of excitement missing. Another misstep as far as the story is concerned are the seemingly low stakes. New technology makes plugging into the Matrix easier than ever, completely minimizing potentially the most dangerous aspect of the Matrix in the previous films. Lastly is the runtime, which is just under 2.5 hours. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t having as much fun toward the end, but regardless, I don’t think it needs to be this long.

I give The Matrix Resurrections a B-. Although it plays with some fun ideas and gives us another glimpse into this world, the action and acting feels phoned in. It has the potential to grow on me over time, but I wasn’t the biggest fan after my first viewing. Happy Watching!

“Back to the Matrix!”